Jump to content

Million Dollar Mystery: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Content deleted Content added
No edit summary
No edit summary
Line 28: Line 28:
[[Tom Bosley]] has the starring role as Sidney Preston, a disgruntled [[White House]] aide who took off with $4 million that belonged to the government. While on the run, he stops at a roadside [[diner]] and has their world famous [[Chili con carne|chili]]. He suffers a fatal [[myocardial infarction|heart attack]] and before dying, reveals to onlookers the location of the first million dollars.
[[Tom Bosley]] has the starring role as Sidney Preston, a disgruntled [[White House]] aide who took off with $4 million that belonged to the government. While on the run, he stops at a roadside [[diner]] and has their world famous [[Chili con carne|chili]]. He suffers a fatal [[myocardial infarction|heart attack]] and before dying, reveals to onlookers the location of the first million dollars.


The occupants of the diner head out on a mad dash to find the loot. When they find the loot, they lose it in a mishap. They follow clues to the next million and lose it as well. After finding and losing the third million the movie ends. During the closing credits, one of the characters informs the audience that there is a million dollars somewhere in the USA and if they follow the clues in specially marked Glad-Lock bags, they have the chance to win $1 million.
The occupants of the diner head out on a mad dash to find the loot. When they find the money, they lose it in a mishap. They follow clues to the next million and lose it as well. After finding and losing the third million, the movie ends. During the closing credits, one of the characters informs the audience that there is a million dollars somewhere in the USA and if they follow the clues in specially marked Glad-Lock bags, they have the chance to win $1 million.


The plot was not unlike the 1963 film ''[[It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World]]''.
The plot was not unlike the 1963 film ''[[It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World]]''.

Revision as of 21:27, 25 May 2012

Million Dollar Mystery
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRichard Fleischer
Written byRudy De Luca
Tim Metcalfe
Miguel Tejada-Flores
Produced byStephen F. Kesten
StarringTom Bosley
Jamie Alcroft
Royce D. Applegate
Penny Baker
Eddie Deezen
Mack Dryden
CinematographyJack Cardiff
Edited byJohn W. Wheeler
Music byAl Gorgoni
Distributed byDe Laurentiis Entertainment Group
Release date
June 12, 1987 (1987-06-12)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$989,033 (USA)

Million Dollar Mystery (also known as Money Mania) is a 1987 American film released with a promotional tie-in for Glad-Lock brand bags. This was the final feature-length film directed by Richard Fleischer.

Plot summary

Tom Bosley has the starring role as Sidney Preston, a disgruntled White House aide who took off with $4 million that belonged to the government. While on the run, he stops at a roadside diner and has their world famous chili. He suffers a fatal heart attack and before dying, reveals to onlookers the location of the first million dollars.

The occupants of the diner head out on a mad dash to find the loot. When they find the money, they lose it in a mishap. They follow clues to the next million and lose it as well. After finding and losing the third million, the movie ends. During the closing credits, one of the characters informs the audience that there is a million dollars somewhere in the USA and if they follow the clues in specially marked Glad-Lock bags, they have the chance to win $1 million.

The plot was not unlike the 1963 film It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.

Cast

While performing a routine stunt for this film, legendary stuntman Dar Robinson died on November 21, 1986.

The Glad-Lock contest failure

Glad Bags and DeLaurentiis Entertainment co-sponsored a real-life million-dollar "treasure hunt" to coincide with this film's release. At the end of the movie, the cash is still missing, and moviegoers were invited to find the location of the hidden million, using clues provided in the film (the sponsors also emphasized that the money wasn't physically hidden anywhere, lest anyone injure themselves or damage property while searching for the money; the audience just had to guess where the money was hidden). Ticket buyers were even given game cards shaped like American currency—with a photo of Dino De Laurentiis where the President should be. In the end, it was a big disaster for the studio. The film was one of the major flops of the 1980s, not even grossing a million dollars at the box office, specifically, $989,033 which the studio wound up giving to the contest winner, a woman in Bakersfield, California. (Incidentally, the money was hidden in the bridge of the Statue of Liberty's nose).

Award nominations

Golden Raspberry Awards

  • Nominated: Worst Original Song, Barry Mann & John Lewis Parker (1988)
  • Nominated: Worst Supporting Actor, Tom Bosley (1988)
  • Nominated: Worst Supporting Actor, Jamie Alcroft (1988)
  • Nominated: Worst Supporting Actor, Mack Dryden (1988)

See also